Are Dog Shows Abusive?

As I was flipping around the TV channels yesterday, I came across The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge on ABC. It was sort of like a doggie Olympics, featuring obstacle courses, races, and a pool diving contest. It was kind of cute and funny to watch the dogs running around pylons and it was amusing to hear the expert color commentator critique the dog trainers’ throws of the tennis balls or toys that enticed the dogs to jump. However, this event made me think about whether these contests and dog shows are exploiting the animals. I’m not a PETA protester and I do eat meat, but I wonder whether we should be showing off and training these dogs just to amuse us. Let me know what you think.